Malaysian Private Research Articles

Can we do it alone? The case of De Cyber hotel

Research methodology The interviews were conducted with the respondents (the founder and Manager of De Cyber Hotel). Other data were obtained through the websites of the relevant businesses. Case overview/synopsis Siti Alia and her friends established De Cyber Hotel in January 2019. It was incorporated as a Malaysian private limited company in Cyberjaya, Selangor. Siti Alia was appointed as the hotel manager and was responsible for managing the hotel’s day-to-day operations and financial matters. Being a new budget hotel, competing with other established hotels was quite difficult. De Cyber Hotel used brochures and word-of-mouth for its promotion activities and mainly depended on walk-in guests. Siti Alia knew she had to take immediate action to ensure the hotel’s survival and could no longer rely on walk-in guests. Hence, to increase the occupancy and revenue rate, on 27 March 2019, De Cyber Hotel management decided to accept an offer from ABC Digital Booking to implement a digital booking mechanism and form a partnership for at least a year. ABC Digital Booking provided an online system to enable the listing and booking of budget accommodations and partnered with hotels to provide similar guest experiences across countries. After working and collaborating for 10 months with ABC Digital Booking, Siti Alia had to decide whether De Cyber Hotel should continue its alliance with ABC Digital Booking. Hence, she had to think thoroughly and consider the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the impact of her decision on the business. Complexity academic level Undergraduate Integrated Case Studies, Seminar in Management, Risk Management and Corporate Governance, Management Accounting, Financial Accounting, Strategic Management. Postgraduate Organizational Behaviour, Management Accounting and Controls, Strategic Management Accounting, Marketing Management, Hospitality Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship Development.

PROBING DETERMINANTS OF UNIVERSITY ACADEMICIANS’ KNOWLEDGE SHARING INTENTION

The determinants of information sharing intention are identified in this paper (i.e., managerial support, interpersonal trust, and reciprocity). Data were collected from questionnaires from academicians in the Malaysian private universities. Multiple regression analysis was performed to test the analysis. Management support, interpersonal trust and reciprocity positively influence knowledge sharing intention. The results revealed management support, interpersonal trust and reciprocity play significant roles in determining academicians’ knowledge sharing intentions. Based on the insights of social exchange theory, this study discovered that strong effects of managerial support, interpersonal trust, and reciprocity on information sharing intention. Hence, social exchange theory is extended to the knowledge sharing intention among academicians’ universities. For the university to encourage knowledge sharing intention, they may improve their current management style and maintain a work environment that encourages employees to trust each other.

PROBING DETERMINANTS OF UNIVERSITY ACADEMICIANS’ KNOWLEDGE SHARING INTENTION

The determinants of information sharing intention are identified in this paper (i.e., managerial support, interpersonal trust, and reciprocity). Data were collected from questionnaires from academicians in the Malaysian private universities. Multiple regression analysis was performed to test the analysis. Management support, interpersonal trust and reciprocity positively influence knowledge sharing intention. The results revealed management support, interpersonal trust and reciprocity play significant roles in determining academicians’ knowledge sharing intentions. Based on the insights of social exchange theory, this study discovered that strong effects of managerial support, interpersonal trust, and reciprocity on information sharing intention. Hence, social exchange theory is extended to the knowledge sharing intention among academicians’ universities. For the university to encourage knowledge sharing intention, they may improve their current management style and maintain a work environment that encourages employees to trust each other.

Remote Learning Satisfaction during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of a Private Higher Education Institution in Malaysia

Since 2020, the abrupt change of pedagogy in education amid the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in various challenges to both instructors and students. Higher education institutions (HEIs) shut down to contain the spread of the virus and shifted to online learning environments. Due to uncertainties, instructors and students were unprepared to cope with the future. Accordingly, instructors and students had to embrace new technologies quickly. This study examines how students perceived remote learning and their level of satisfaction. The data collected were from a Malaysian private HEI that involved 2,097 undergraduate students quantitatively, modeled on Ramsden’s (1991) Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ). The findings revealed the effects of six factors, i.e., instructors’ performance, students’ educational goals, the remote learning platform, study workload, online assessment, and learning support with a positive relationship on the overall satisfaction of remote learning. Policymakers, university administrators, and instructors could benefit from this study because it has demonstrated that several factors shape students’ satisfaction and affect their learning effectiveness in a remote learning environment.

A Study on Barriers to Women’s Career Advancement in Private Sector Companies in Malaysia

The research was motivated by the desire to ascertain the progress Malaysia has made in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in ensuring equal rights for women. This includes ensuring women have equal opportunity to gain top management positions in organizations. The purpose of this research is to identify the barriers in women’s career advancement in private sector companies in Malaysia and the path by which gender stereotypes, family responsibilities, organizational cultures, and glass ceiling affect women’s career advancement. A total of 130 women employees from various private sector companies constitutes the sample. This research disclosed that gender stereotypes, family responsibilities, organizational cultures, and glass ceiling are significantly and positively related to women’s career advancement in Malaysian private sector companies.

Public Speaking Anxiety in English Among ACCA Foundation in Accountancy Students in a Malaysian Private University: A Case Study

Public Speaking Anxiety in English Among ACCA Foundation in Accountancy Students in a Malaysian Private University: A Case Study

Learn from anywhere, anytime: Factors Influencing the adoption of E-learning System in Malaysian private university

E-learning utilization and implementation between many users is a significant challenge for many universities in both developed and developing nations. This study aims to examine the indirect effect of E-learning System Quality on the E-learning system adoption, through trust and self-efficacy. The data were collected via self- administered questionnaires, yielding 129 usable responses from the students of Manipal International University in Nilai, Malaysia. This study revealed that e-learning system quality has a positive effect in building the students’ trust and self-efficacy. The positive effect of trust and self-efficacy on e-learning system adoption were also confirmed. In addition, this study found the mediation effect of trust and self-efficacy in the relationship of the e-learning system quality and e-learning system adoption. The findings from this study are expected to benefit both practitioners, the tertiary education industry, specifically universities and colleges that interested to explore e-learning system and researchers that specialize in education study.

Assessment of Fear and Anxiety towards Covid 19 among Dental Students in Malaysian Private University

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pneumonia crisis of universal concern on January 30, 2020, because of the rapidly growing number of cases and evidence of human-to-human viral transmission. Dentists are more prone to get infected to covid 19 infection, in addition the sources of stress and anxiety for dentists during this crisis have been brought up, and they may be partially related to the elevated danger of exposure to COVID-19 while performing routine dental procedures. It would be helpful to assess the tension and anxiety that dental students experience when they return to their training in dental colleges in the COVID-19 period. Aim: To assess the level of fear and anxiety towards covid 19 among dental students in AIMST university. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out among 348 dental students by simple random sampling technique to evaluate the fear and anxiety level. The response to each question was recorded in a YES or NO format, Comparison of mean fear score was done using t-test for 2 variables and ANOVA for 3 or more than 3 variables. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There was significant association between fear and gender towards Covid 19 among Dental Students terms of gender (P value <0.005). Furthermore, there was a significant association between anxiety and sociodemographic factors like gender and year of study towards Covid 19 among Dental Students terms of gender. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates cross-sectional data of fear and anxiety among dental students towards COVID-19. Our study findings showed that students were anxious and were afraid of covid 19. It can be said that it’s the right time to educate and instill knowledge on various infectious diseases and management strategies for the same.

Relationship between human resource management practices and employee's job performance in selected private Health Care Sector, Selangor, Malaysia

Human resource management practices are crucial, especially in the private healthcare sector. This could be because managing personnel in the healthcare sector is particularly challenging; therefore, meeting every employee's needs is crucial. Recently, the healthcare sector has experienced a scarcity and unbalanced distribution of employees due to job turnover. In addition, employee performance in the private healthcare sector has shown a slight drop due to the dissatisfaction of employees toward human resource practices such as unattractive compensation and rewards packages, bias in performance appraisal, lack of training and development, and many more. Therefore, this study is conducted to examine the impact of human resource practices on employees' job performance. Specifically, there are three main human resource practices observed as factors that contribute to an employee's job performance. The three human resource practices are compensation and benefits, performance appraisal, and training and development. There were four private hospitals operating in Selangor, Malaysia, chosen as a sample for this study. The private hospitals are KPJ Selangor Specialist Hospital, Columbia Asia Hospital Puchong, Assunta Hospital PJ, and Sunway Medical Centre. Out of these four private hospitals, there were about 291 employees working at the front desk: nurses, clinical workers, and administration staff were chosen as respondents in this study. The questionnaires were distributed to the respondents by hand. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 29. The findings indicate that employee job performance in Malaysian private hospitals is positively correlated with compensation and benefits. Employees feel motivated by compensation, which encourages them to increase their production and work more efficiently. Additionally, the findings also suggest that performance appraisal and training and development significantly contribute to employee job performance.

Factors Influencing Students’ Choice of Enrollmnt in Accounting Professional Program: Evidence From Malaysian Private Higher Institution

In choosing a career decision of an individual, a student’s choice of enrolment at the tertiary education level is one of the vital elements that influence students’ preference for program selection. This study explores the accounting students’ choice of enrolment in the professional qualification ACCA course and the factors that influence their decisions to take the ACCA course at Kolej University Poly-Tech MARA, Kuala Lumpur (KUPTMKL). Online questionnaires were distributed to ACCA students in KUPTMKL in January 2021. About 203 questionnaires were completed and usable for the purpose of the study. To analyze the data, descriptive and regression analyses have been employed in this study. The findings show that all predictor variables explain students’ decisions to pursue professional qualifications. The findings reveal that personal factors, student motivation, student choice in the ACCA course and job-related are significant in influencing accounting students’ decision to pursue professional qualifications. The favorable information about the profession may attract potential students to take the challenge to become a professional accountant in Malaysia. This is in line with the government’s aspiration to accomplish 60,000 accountants which are currently still low.

Internal Marketing to Enhance Job Satisfaction and Organisational Performance Among Lecturers in Malaysian Private Universities

The purpose of this study is to determine if internal marketing (IM) is a useful internal tool for the economic unit to enhance organisational performance (OP) and job satisfaction (JS) in Malaysian private universities (PU). The primary objective of this study is to develop a theoretical framework for the creation of a comprehensive measurement scale that emphasises the direct use of IM in PUs and enables PUs to achieve strategic goals such as bolstering lecturers' job satisfaction and organisational performance. The significance of the relationship between IM, JS, and OP is determined using a quantitative technique approach within the context of hypothesis testing. The respondents are lecturers from Malaysian private universities. This study contributes to the literature in two ways: first, it examines the relationship between internal marketing, job satisfaction, and organisational performance in the context of private universities, an industry where marketing issues remain understudied; and second, it provides a theoretical framework for the development of internal marketing within an organisation, with a focus on PUs. In this situation, the resilience and success of PUs can be attributed, in part, to the lecturers' capacity to defend their institutions against an intimidating environment and maintain growth.

MEDIATING ROLE OF JOB EMBEDDEDNESS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCEIVED ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT, PERCEIVED CO-WORKER SUPPORT AND EMPLOYEE RETENTION IN MALAYSIAN PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES

The shortage of academic staff in private universities is at an alarming stage and would have a huge-impact on educational quality. This study aims to examine the mediating role of job embeddedness (JE) in the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS), perceived co-worker support (CWS) and employee retention (ER) in Malaysian private universities. Numerous studies have been conducted to examine POS, CWS and turnover with on-the-job factors such job satisfaction and job commitment. These two on-the-job factors are the two attitudinal constructs most frequently studied by the researchers. However, the mediating role of JE plays in understanding ER has yet to be completely specified. Stratified sampling technique was used to collect data from 482 academic staff. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test all the hypotheses. The findings indicated that JE mediates the relationship between POS and ER partially. However, there is no direct relationship between CWS and ER. ER cannot be increased by providing high CWS directly. It should go through JE as a mediator. This study could contribute fresh-insight for human resource practitioners from private universities to get more effective retention strategies on how to retain staff even if an opportunity arises by emphasizing JE.

Trends in the Cost of Medicines, Consultation Fees and Clinic Visits in Malaysia's Private Primary Healthcare System: Employer Health Insurance Coverage.

To examine trends in the cost of medicines, consultation fees and clinic visits among the employees covered by the employer health insurance in Malaysia's private primary healthcare system in Malaysia. Retrospective cross-sectional study. PMCare claims database from January 2016 to August 2019. A total of 83,556 outpatient clinic visits involving 10,150 IIUM employees of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) to private general practitioners (GPs). During the study period, IIUM adopts the incentive structure of capping coverage at Ringgit Malaysia (RM) 45/outpatient visit (USD 10.58) to cover for consultation fees and medicine costs. The monthly percentage change in the number of clinic visits, medicine costs, consultation fees and total costs between January 2016 and August 2019. A simple linear regression using Stata v15.1 was also performed to measure the association between the characteristics of the prescribed medicines and medicine charges. The number of clinic visits per patient increased by 17% from January 2016 to August 2019, with consultation fees increasing by 113.9% and total costs by 7.9% per clinic visit per patient. Conversely, the cost of medicines and the number of medicines prescribed per clinic visit per patient decreased by 39.7% and 6.3%, respectively. Within the incentive structure of capping the total amount of coverage per clinic visit, medicine costs were reduced by decreasing the number of medicines prescribed, to offset the increased consultation fees. This may create perverse incentives that affect medicine use with negative consequences for the health system and health insurers.

Factors Influencing International Students' Choice to Study at Malaysian Private Higher Education Institutions

The decision of international students to pursue private HEIs in Malaysia is examined in this study. It attempts to investigate the relationship between the programmes offered, the tuition price, an institution's recognition and reputation, and the choice made by international students to enroll in Malaysian private higher education institutions (HEIs). This paper aims to identify the determining elements while choosing to attend Malaysian private HEIs, and the push-pull theory was applied. Through an online survey, a total of 110 respondents were gathered. The findings of Pearson's correlation analysis revealed a substantial association between the programme offered, the cost of education, the reputation and recognition of institutions, and the choice of international students to study in Malaysian private HEIs. The findings of this study can be valuable to policymakers, educators, and higher education institutions in Malaysia, as they provide insights into the factors that influence international students' choice to enroll at private HEIs. The results may also be useful for marketing and recruitment strategies to attract more international students to Malaysian private HEIs. Recommendations for HEIs are provided based on the findings.

Factors Influencing Reputation of a Malaysian Private University from a Strategic Communication Management Perspective

Reputation studies have gained attention tremendously as a significant area of research in corporate communication and business-related studies. Universities today have realized the importance of having a solid reputation to attract their stakeholders, mainly the students (customers) as they are the largest stakeholder for the survival of the university. This study aims to investigate the predicting factors of tangible and intangible resources and their impacts on the university reputation of a private university in Klang Valley from the student’s perspective. The study applied Resource-Based View Theory as an underpinning theory to explain these relationships. The study applied a quantitative survey design and generated 400 valid responses. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that tangible resources (university logo, university facilities) and intangible resources (university heritage, university image) are the predictors of the university's reputation, where university heritage appears to be a prominent predictor among the other determinants. The current study contributed to the corporate communication and marketing scholarship by clarifying the gaps between image and reputation as two different constructs. This has called upon the management and marketing department of the private university to pay attention to the determinants highlighted, especially the heritage of the university as it is a unique selling point for the institution to differentiate from its rivals. Conclusion, implications, and suggestions for future study were also discussed.

The Influence of Leadership in Academia on The Standard of Teaching in Malaysian Private Universities

The purpose of this research is to analyse the role played by academic leaders in improving the teaching quality in Malaysian private universities. As the future of the country’s economic growth is dependent on the quality of education offered by private universities, focusing on teaching quality can improve the future of Malaysian students and determine the sustainability of private universities. The target population was academicians from three private universities in Nilai, Malaysia. This study employed a qualitative research approach. The thematic method was utilised to analyse data which was gathered through an in-depth interview with seven lecturers. In addition to that, an in-depth understanding of the subject matter was obtained through literature reviews. The findings of this study show that academic leaders play a key role in increasing the motivation level of lecturers to improve the quality of education provided in private universities. Respondents assert that academic leaders need to provide a clear definition of goals, conduct regular performance evaluations, elevate credibility by mentoring, and present rewards for good teaching quality. This study raises an opportunity for future researchers to study the challenges faced by academic leaders in improving the quality of teaching in private universities. Another beneficial research would be to conduct an analysis of leadership practices in private universities which are financially stable and progressing well.

Perceived Leader’s Support, Performance Feedback and Employee Engagement in Malaysian Private Hospitals

Employee engagement is a crucial factor for organisations for its contribution to the organisation's development and sustainability. This research was conducted to examine whether or not perceived leader's support ("PLS") and performance feedback ("PF") have significant relationships with employee engagement. This research was also carried out to empirically prove which factors cause or are the main reason for employee engagement. Additionally, this research examines if there is a significant difference of opinion between genders about perceived leader's support as well as the level of employee engagement at Malaysian Private Hospitals. The results show that, although both determinant factors (PLS and PF) have a significant relationship with employee engagement (p<0.001), only PLS causes employee engagement (p<0.001, t-value>1.96). This research also proves that there is no difference of opinion between genders about the importance of PLS in the workplace. Furthermore, it has also been proven that there is no difference in the level of employee engagement between male and female employees at Malaysian Private Hospitals. It is hoped that the results of this research will benefit hospitals in Malaysia, mainly private ones. This is because employee engagement in private hospitals could help improve private hospitals' performance and reputation, thus attracting a larger number of patients as well as generating more revenues, all of which can contribute to Malaysia's economic well-being.

A Review of Facilities Management Performance within Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) at Malaysia Public University

This paper aims to assess the facilities management (FM) practices and performance at Malaysian private finance initiatives (PFI) university campus. This paper critically analysed the current FM practices and performance of the FM company. The single case study approach is a research method used in this research to analyse a single case or phenomenon in depth. In this approach, a single unit of analysis, such as, a case study of PFI campus of a public university in Malaysia is studied in detail to gain a deep understanding of the case and its context. The findings of this paper revealed that the state of FM practices and performance is based on the Concessionaire Agreement (CA) within the appointed FM Company and the University. The extent of its implementation and understanding are significantly important to the university management. The FM Company performance increased towards the year and recorded high level performance with Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) average score within 9 years around 98.45%. However, the FM company received a total of 773 demerit points and incurred a deduction of maintenance charges amounting to RM319,153.23 suggesting that there were some areas of improvement can be made. This paper reached out to address the FM practices and performance under the Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) at Malaysia Public University after 9 years of its implementation. It gives a better understanding of PFI concept and FM practices in the country. The review also helps to identify practices and measures to the performance impact to the university operations.

A Study of Influenced Factors toward Student Loyalty Among Private Universities in Kedah

Up to half of Malaysia's private higher education institutions could be forced to close if the country's private higher education sector were to collapse, leaving only those with substantial financial support to remain open. More than half of the country's small businesses have shut down due to the Covid-19 coronavirus, which has almost likely pushed the country into recession. This has worsened the prognosis for the already troubled university sector. Hence, student loyalty is another proven solution in combating these challenges. The purpose of this research is to look into and analyse the impact of service quality, university image, student satisfaction, and loyalty at private universities in Kedah, Malaysia. As this paper is a pilot study, therefore 150 questionnaires were distributed to target respondents. SPSS was used to analyse the 86 samples of private university students in the northern region of Malaysia. Findings postulate that only service quality, commitment and satisfaction affect a loyalty among private university student in northern region. This study helps institutions, teachers, and policymakers understand what makes private university students want for them to keep loyal with the universities.

Ostracism Amongst Junior Employees

This study provides tenets that guide a wide range of researchers, industry practitioners, and academics in order to work multifaceted environment of workplace ostracism, work engagement, and turnover intention. The prevalence of turnover intention has received critical attention among Human Resource practitioners as the alarming statistics nowadays allude to global epidemic of actual turnover. High turnover can be costly to any organization. Therefore, this issue needs special attention as it may impact the company’s bottom line. Based on the research philosophies of positivism, this study employs a deductive approach or quantitative research design. This shall provide empirical evidence of the effect of ostracism on turnover and moderated by work engagement. Based on the available literature, a comparative analysis of different experiences with ostracism and turnover from diverse background studies has shown their adequacy for the requirement to involve work engagement as the mediator. This study only looking from East Culture’s perspective which is the Malaysian Private Higher Education Institutions (MPHEIs). It is a cross-sectional, which prevents examining the evolution over time of the phenomenon under investigation. Many studies have examined the antecedents of turnover intention, however, the effects of relational experiences at work on turnover intention amongst junior employees have not been fully explored.